In current issue of The Spectator (£) Rod Liddle challenges Conservative councils for embracing political correctness and paying staff to do "non-jobs." That even notionally Conservative drift along with Socialist ideology. He offers the following examples: Havant District Council (Conservative-controlled) Workplace travel co-ordinator (£22,000+) Herefordshire County Council (Conservative-controlled) Gypsy Romany liaison officer (£26,700+) Rugby District Council […]
Cllr David Shakespeare, the Conservative leader of Buckingham County Council, is in trouble after suggesting that the unemployed should look for work picking fruit. The problem seems to be that he was making the proposal in the context of a discussion about regional unemployment in the north of England. He said that perhaps they should […]
The Audit Commission paid £15,025 last year for drama workshops. The firm Steps Drama explain their work for the Quango as follows: "Called Managing Change for Diversity & Equality, the workshop combines presentations from senior managers at the Audit Commission with drama scenarios, delivered and facilitated by Steps, that bring the issues to life. It […]
Some good news for Mark Wallace. Last month he wrote on this site about Buckinghamshire County Council sending their staff off on training courses to have their heterosexuality challenged. Mark said that he hoped the Council leader: ..will go public on this issue – not to defend such a waste of time and money, but to […]
Further to yesterday's post from Mark Wallace about Buckinghamshire County Council's Heterosexuality Quiz, the Bucks Free Press has a response from the Councils. It says: In a statement, BCC said it has a legal obligation 'not to discriminate' under equality legislation incorporated into the Equality Act 2010 which becomes law on October 1. It said: […]
Mark Wallace, Senior Account Manager at Portland Communications and author of the Crash Bang Wallace blog, on how even some Conservative councils have adopted "Diversity" extremism Thirteen years of Labour Government will take a long time to get over. Just look at the public finances – with a deficit of £150+ billion, costly PFI commitments, and malfunctioning […]
I have written previously lamenting how Boris Johnson's administration at City Hall has not done more to ditch Ken Livingstone's pernicious "equalities policy" with its basis in racial separatism. But, in the interests of balance, I am pleased to accept that some things in City Hall have changed. It should be acknowledged that Boris's adviser […]
Naturally local councils need to maintain good manners, common sense, respectfulness and a sense of balance when it comes to managing their workforces with diverse backgrounds. Sometimes there will be conflicting pressures – for instance those wishing to be open in expressing their religious faith and those wishing to be open about their sexual orientation. […]
Laura Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, on the resistance the Mayor of Doncaster Peter Davies faces in carrying out his election promises. It would be an understatement to simply say that the Mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies, is a colourful character. He has seen more than his share of controversy in his […]
During the 1980s era of the "looney left" Labour councils would frequently declare themselves "Nuclear Free Zones." Cllr Iain Lindley reminds us that this practice continues. Socialists can indulge in some agitprop at their Council Taxpayer's expense by affiliating to Nuclear Free Local Authorities who promise that in return: "Your local council will be publicly demonstrating […]
Just as it is the Jews who are the most likely to tell Jewish jokes it is the Irish who are most likely to tell Irish jokes (although they often substitute Kerryman for Irishman, except, of course, in County Kerry….) Whether such jokes are offensive or not rather depends on the individual joke. During a […]
Glyn Gaskarth notes that the EHRC wants councils to survey their staff and residents over their sexual orientation. He believes this policy should be rejected and the EHRC closed down. In its report Beyond Tolerance: Making sexual orientation a public matter, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) recommends that local authorities (and other public […]
Mark Wallace of the Taxpayers Alliance says councils are perpetuating the problem of people not speaking English. It is a standard PR tactic in local government to blame everything on Whitehall. To be fair to councils, often many things are the fault of central government. Sometimes, though, there are clear issues where waste occurs purely […]
A Labour councillor in Haringey, Cllr Brian Haley, has apologised to a Lib Dem colleague, Cllr Laura Edge. Cllr Haley had told her: "I do have to say, Cllr Edge, you're a bit like a trifle, very sweet and very lightweight." Cllr Edge said afterwards: "I thought it was a sexist remark. It wasn't the comment […]
Ed West has spotted the following story from the Hackney Gazette. Hackney Green councillors are demanding that only vegan food be available at Hackney Town Hall. It says: Cllr Matthew Coggins, the leader of the council’s Conservative group, rubbished the proposal by Cllr Mischa Borris, calling it “preposterous”, and questioned the logic behind it. “I […]